초록 ▼

A controller for a centrifugal clutch with circumferentially spaced actuating weights having radially inwardly projecting actuating arms that pivot rearwardly as the rate of rotation of the clutch accelerates and the weights move to increase actuating pressure in and through the clutch. The controll

A controller for a centrifugal clutch with circumferentially spaced actuating weights having radially inwardly projecting actuating arms that pivot rearwardly as the rate of rotation of the clutch accelerates and the weights move to increase actuating pressure in and through the clutch. The controller includes a fluid actuated cylinder and piston unit with a piston rod that carries an arm engages throw-out bearing positioned rearward of the actuating arms. The cylinder is normally charged with a fluid medium that urges the piston and rod forwardly to one end of the cylinder and where the throw-out bearing engages and stops the arms in their normal unactuated position. The cylinder is connected with fluid handling parts that operate to bleed liquid from the cylinder and to allow the piston, rod and throw-out bearing to move rearwardly at a predetermined programmed rate and to restrain pivoting of the arms and weights to a rate that is less than the rate at which the weights and arms would move if not restrained and to thereby slow and control the rate of increase of actuating pressure in and through the clutch.

대표청구항 ▼

An elongate centrifugal clutch with front and rear ends, a front drive part in rotary driving engagement with a crankshaft of a related engine, a central elongate clutch shaft concentric with and rearward of the crankshaft, a plurality of annular, radially extending, axially spaced plates about the

An elongate centrifugal clutch with front and rear ends, a front drive part in rotary driving engagement with a crankshaft of a related engine, a central elongate clutch shaft concentric with and rearward of the crankshaft, a plurality of annular, radially extending, axially spaced plates about the shaft and in rotary driving engagement with the drive part, annular radially extending driven disks between the plates and in rotary driving engagement with the shaft, a carrier part rearward of the plates in axial fixed and rotary driving engagement with the drive part, and, a plurality of actuating weights pivotally carried by the carrier part and having cam parts that engage and urge the rear-most plate forward and that have radially inwardly projecting actuating arms that pivot rearwardly when the clutch is rotated and the weights are caused to pivot radially outward; a controller to engage and slow rearward pivoting of the arms and including, an annular throw-out bearing about the shaft rearward of and normally engaging the arms, an elongate cylinder with front and rear ends mounted in fixed axial spaced relationship rearward of the bearing, a piston in the cylinder, an elongate rod on the piston and projecting forwardly from the cylinder and connected with the bearing, fluid inlet and exhaust ports in the cylinder rearward of the piston, a motive fluid supply connected with the inlet port and operable to conduct motive fluid into the cylinder to move the piston, rod and bearing forward to a stop forward unactuated position where said bearing engages said actuating arms when said arms are in a normal unactuated forward position, and, a fluid exhaust connected with the exhaust ports and operating to bleed fluid from within the cylinder at a rate to allow the piston, rod and bearing to move rearwardly and the arms to pivot rearwardly from their unactuated position at a predetermined controlled rate.